Do you remember as a child getting a still-damp mimeographed lesson, printed in a bright purple, from your teacher? Those were the days, weren't they? Nowadays, personal computing has practically taken over our lives, including education. This actually quite a good thing. Most adults would be surprised at how many gadgets are present in the typical grade school classroom today! How are teachers introducing and using this technology? It turns out, they're using it in quite a variety of ways. One of the great things about most of this technology is that children with a variety of disabilities have better access to learning, instead of just sitting on the sidelines while their peer benefit. Technology brings knowledge to everyone!

* Many schools have introduced interactive white boards into the classroom. These are incredible tools, that save teachers time and money in the classroom. How do they work? Think of it as a combination of Power Point, a touch screen, and video presentation and you pretty much have an interactive white board. Teachers can pre-program lessons, use a stylus to draw on the screen, and even save presentations, just in case a student missed class or for a review later. The boards can be connected to a personal computer for portability, and many are cordless, using existing Bluetooth technology to make connecting easier.

* Computer tablets, such as the iPad, are making classrooms more fun for students and teachers alike! Tablet computers have the advantages of portability and flexibility, something that desktop computers lack. And an even bigger advantage is the ease of use: With the swipe of a finger across the screen, a student can open a textbook, a lesson, and go over tests with the teacher. Downloadable books and applications are often free or inexpensive, making access to relevant lessons even easier for educators.